Jim Ross Had His Reasons For Leaving WCW, And It May Have Saved His Broadcasting Career
Legendary pro wrestling commentator "Good ol' J.R." Jim Ross has spent nearly 50 years dedicated to the industry, giving him countless memories to look back on. Ross' early days saw him working as an announcer for companies like Mid-South Wrestling and the National Wrestling Alliance until the latter one picked him up for a long-term contract. Ross served as the NWA's play-by-play commentator for several years during the time Jim Crockett Promotions was transitioning into World Championship Wrestling following its purchase by media magnate Ted Turner. Ross' undeniable charisma and ability to call the in-ring action effectively helped him rise through the ranks of WCW, so fans may be curious why he left the company in 1993 to begin working with WWE.
On an episode of his "Grilling J.R." podcast (h/t 411 Wrestling), the WWE Hall of Famer wanted to clarify what went down in WCW. He pointed to a dysfunctional relationship with one of WCW's newest announcers and future high-ranking executives during that time: Eric Bischoff. When it became clear that Bischoff would also be climbing the corporate ladder and holding a position of power in WCW, Ross' dedication to the promotion started to dwindle. "I [told Bruce Prichard,] 'I'm getting ready to — I'm probably going to leave here; I can leave here. There are some issues; they've made some changes. My presence is not necessarily wanted in the role I want to be in,'" Ross recalled. At the time, Bischoff had supported the decision to reduce Ross' on-air role in WCW, something Ross vehemently disagreed with.
J.R.'s First Time Meeting Vince McMahon
This decision to crossover to WWE with the hope he could re-focus his efforts on commentary ultimately paid off for Ross. His conversation with Prichard went smoothly, in part because the two men had worked together in the past, and it gave him the window to speak with former WWE boss Vince McMahon about his desires. "We talked about my salary in WCW. He said, 'I can't pay you what they're paying you right now but I can get fairly close, and I can also give you 50 grand to sign.' I immediately stuck my hand out and said you got a deal." While Ross' long tenure with WWE would often be rocky, it cemented his place as an all-time great announcer.
Of course, the outspoken Bischoff has never been one to not share his side of any story publicly, arguing that his decision to begin phasing Ross out of WCW was due to him being "miserable" backstage. "Why keep a guy here when we've been surrounded by negativity, bad morale, and political in-fighting?" Bischoff asked on an episode of his "83 Weeks" podcast. Ross would work with WWE on and off again throughout his career, with his longest stint at the commentary booth occurring from 1994 to 2013. He would resume working for the company in various ways by 2017, before departing and signing a multi-year contract with Tony Khan's AEW — the promotion he currently calls home.